carboy cleaning

[kjones]

I have a question about cleaning carboys. I usually rinse then soak in bleach and water after a fermentation. Then, scrub with carboy brush and rinse before putting away. But, I notice when I get in out and get ready to sanitize, when I start to fill it with the water and sanitizer I can see exactly where I scrubbed when the water condensates on the sides. Just wondering what the best way to clean to avoid this is. I know these brushes are so stiff that the tend to just scratch at the krauzen ring.

 

[ALPS]

Save the bleach for your laundry. Get a tub of Oxy-clean instead. Fill the CB with hot water and a half scoop of Oxy-clean. After a short soak it will scrub clean nicely.

 

[shafferpilot]

There's no need to scrub with Oxyclean and HOT water. 20 minutes soak time and rinse, rinse, rinse. I'm not crazy about scrubbing any of my equipment, sounds too much like work.

 

[BuffaloSabresBrewer]

There's no need to scrub with Oxyclean and HOT water. 20 minutes soak time and rinse, rinse, rinse. I'm not crazy about scrubbing any of my equipment, sounds too much like work.

AMEN!

Too much cleaning takes the fun out of brewing. Live on the edge.

 

[Blender]

Carboy brushes don't work to well on the sides of the glass. I usually throw in a clean rag and wrap it around the brush for cleaning the sides. I use PBW for a cleaner.

 

[TheBone]

the no rinse solutions that are included in the Northern Brewers starter kits?

 

[rohanski]

There's no need to scrub with Oxyclean and HOT water. 20 minutes soak time and rinse, rinse, rinse. I'm not crazy about scrubbing any of my equipment, sounds too much like work.

DO NOT TAKE THIS ADVISE! I had 12 or 14 bad batches in a row because I used this advice. I held the carboy up to the light and discovered a light film that Oxyclead would not remove. After I scrubbed the carboy and used a strong bleach solution the infections stopped.

 

[shafferpilot]

You should have been using strong bleach solution (10:1) to sanitize anyways (IMO). I leave my carboys full to the brim with bleach solution any time they don't have beer in them, that way they are always santized. I don't see any advantage to drying them then sanitizing again when it's time to use them, so why make that effort? I have heard many times here of a sticky film left by oxyclean. I've never seen it myself, but I think it results from using WAY too much and leaving it sit for days on end. It only takes a half a scoop and half an hour. Infections are usually the result of bad sanitation and/or scratches, cracks and etchings in plastic and glass that harbour bacteria..... Which is the other reason that I don't scrub anything. What sanitizer were you using when you had the infection problem?

 

[Donasay]

I clean the carboys first using a strong bleach solution and the carboy brush, then I leave a light bleach mixture sitting in my carboys until they are ready to use. If you mix 1/2 a cup of bleach and 1/2 a cup of vinegar to 5 or 6 gallons of water it will sanitize very well and work for up to 30 days. If it is going to be more than 30 days between being filled (god forbid) then you should probably empty them as you will have to re-sanitize anyway. The weak bleach/vinegar solution does not "have" to be rinsed, it is weak enough that you won't taste it, but strong enough to kill all the nasties after just 2 minutes of contact time. Just because I am anal I usually dump out the bleach rinse the carboys and then fill with star-san and then dump the star san. I make one 5 gallon batch of star san on brew day and it covers all 4 of my carboys.

 

[rohanski]

What sanitizer were you using when you had the infection problem?

Everything! I'm telling you Oxyclean will not remove the light coating left from fermentation. I do not let anything (except beer) sit in the carboy for more than a few hours because it all leaves a very light deposit. The deposit can only be seen if it is held up to a very bright light. It is usually not a problem but once you get an infection not even strong bleach will kill it. Belive me because I tried it. I just emptied a carboy last night that was a good batch and it also had a deposit.

Moral to story....SCRUB!

 

[mr x]

I hook up a 1/4" piece of ss tubing onto my sink faucet. Crank up the hot water and blast the krausen off. I've only brewed one beer so far where the krausen wouldn't come off in a minute.